The sport’s leading three-year-old colt trotter, Father Patrick, will race in the Bluegrass stakes at The Red Mile as the Grand Circuit meet continues on Sunday afternoon.
Fifteen colts were entered in the stake, Father Patrick drew into the tenth race and will race for a purse of $93,100.
The Cantab Hall colt from Gala Dream comes in after a resounding success in the Canadian Trotting Classic at Mohawk where he dominated the field in 1:52.4 after being outside the entire mile.
That win put the pride of the Father Patrick Stable over $1 million in seasonal earnings. He will start from post one on Sunday with regular driver Yannick Gingras aboard for trainer Jimmy Takter.
Also on the card are a pair of $86,700 Bluegrass divisions for the sophomore trotting fillies featuring the potent duo of Lifetime Dream and Shake It Cerry, also racing out of the Takter barn.
Lifetime Pursuit has been nothing short of sensational since her Hambletonian Oaks win at The Meadowlands. She lowered the world record for her age and gender on the mile track in that one at 1:50.4 and has since equaled the world record on a five-eighths track with a 1:51.3 score at The Meadows during her current six-race win skein.
Now a winner eight times in thirteen starts, the Cantab Hall - Queen Of Grace lass is approaching $1 million in career earnings for owner/breeder Brittany Farms. Yannick Gingras has driven Lifetime Pursuit to all of those successes for Takter and will have the assignment from post two in the fifth race on Sunday.
Shake It Cerry has been a model of consistency over her twenty-two race career with seventeen wins and $1.4 million earned for Solveig’s Racing Partners. She was at perhaps her career best in a dazzling Elegant Image score at Mohawk her last start in a personal record of 1:52.1, winning by more than nine lengths.
Shake It Cerry is by Donato Hanover from the prolific producer Solveig. Jimmy Taker developed the family and has trained her throughout her career. Ron Pierce has been aboard last year’s divisional champion for virtually all of her starts and will drive from post two in Sunday’s eleventh race.
The Allerage Farms Open Pace and Trot did not require elimination races and the horses entered will go directly to the finals on Kentucky Futurity Day, Sunday, October 5. Among the entrants are the top two horses in the current Top Ten Poll, Sebastian K in the trotting race and Sweet Lou in the pace.
Sunday post time is a matinee 1:00 p.m. Clubhouse dining is available for all Grand Circuit cards and reservations may be made by calling (859) 233-0814.
(The Red Mile)